Moments 4, 5, & 6

Moment #4:  Despite my constant reminders that, "We only put stickers on paper" she has the ability to express her free agency...a free agency that sometimes gets her in hot water.

Moment #5:  When she tells me that she is mad and going to tell her daddy on me, the knowledge that her father and I present a united front...despite the miles that separate us, I am not doing this alone.

Moment #6:  The quiet opening of my bedroom door in the morning, the heavy breathing of a little girl battling a cold and allergies, the jostling of the bed as she climbs up via the cedar chest, the THUMP of her diving onto me, embracing me in a hug and saying, "Mommy I wakey now!"

1000 Moments of Joy

Motherhood is no easy task, it requires patience, the purest form of love (also called charity), nursing skills, coaching skills, herding skills, compassion, and my list could go on and on. A friend of mine is following in the footsteps of her BFF in looking for the "moments of joy" in motherhood. In the next year, until Mother's Day comes around again, they are going to look for 1000 moments of joy. I really like the idea of looking for the joy in motherhood over dwelling on the moments of frustration…so I too will be jumping on the bandwagon.


With my husband gone for the next 14 months, I need to look for the positive in all things…….

1. My daughter is every bit her father's daughter; she DOES NOT like to smile for the camera. When she does smile for the camera, you can see the pure joy that radiates from deep within her soul.

   
   
   
   
   
     2. Every bit the princess…even when running a fever and not feeling well.

  3.  Even when she does not feel well, she is a little hurricane….I do not mind the mess made by a happy child.

So, what are your 1000 moments of joy? Should you take this project on, please let me know because I sure would love to read all about your joy…and be sure to let Amy and Kim share in your joy as well.

Fourth of July Weekend

We are not fireworks kind of people; you seen one show, you've seen them all. Our little family would rather spend time in the woods, being one with nature...with the comforts of a cabin of course. We went up on Thursday and stayed until Sunday.

Phillip's dad joined us Friday afternoon. We enjoyed his company. Unfortunately his mom wasn't able to join us because she was out of town. When "Grampa" arrived he asked Meghan if she wanted to play in the sprinkler. She showed interest at first, but quickly lost it. I wasn't thinking when I packed her clothes, so I wasn't prepared for her to play in the water. I did tell her that she could but would have to do soin just her diaper.

Saturday morning the guys went fishing. Meghan and I had breakfast without them, I saved them some and proceeded to clean up. After I cleaned up I went out to read on the deck and watch Meghan play. She wanted to play in the dog's water dish, but that is a no-no in this family. So I went inside and found her a pitcher and wash basin to play in instead. Meghan spent a long time playing in the water.

Eventually our fishermen returned home. After they ate their breakfast, "Grampa" asked Meghan if she wanted to play in the sprinkler. She was so excited, I stripped her down to her diaper. But when it came down to it, she didn't want to play in the sprinkler. I had gone back inside to clean up the guys' breakfast dishes. When I came back outside...this is what I found.

Why play in the sprinkler when you have a perfectly functioning wash basin?

The cabin has indoor plumbing, to include a shower....but bathing a toddler who doesn't like water in her face in the shower did not seem like fun to me. The next best thing? The kitchen sink of course....Gramma April probably cringes at the thought....

mmmm....S'more S'mores please

A couple of weekends ago we had the opportunity to go see a friend of ours retire from the Air Force. It was wonderful getting caught up with them, and a few other friends we were stationed with in England.

My parents are so awesome, they let us crash at their pad. We love visiting them so much! And they even let us bring Emma the energizer dog...all the better. Friday we did the retirement ceremony and party. Saturday Phillip played golf at the Air Force Academy while my parents took Meghan and I shopping. It was a long day for Meghan.

Nana had promised Meghan that they would do S'mores. It got later and later in the evening, it was hard to put Meghan to bed because she was having so much fun with her Nana, Papa, and her Aunts Becky & Cassie. I undid her hairdo and was about to put her in the bath when she and Nana reminded me about the S'mores. Bath plans on hold for a few minutes, we did quick S'mores in the microwave since there wasn't enough time for Papa to start a fire. (I think my dad is a closet pyro.)

Phillip and dad enjoyed just the chocolate. Nana, Meghan, Aunt Cassie and I enjoyed complete S'mores....and my sister Becky who has an aversion to fluffy, delicious, finger lickin' good marshmallows had melted chocolate on graham cracker. I KNOW she is weird, but we love her despite that.

Below are Meghan with her wild woman hairdo thoroughly enjoying that S'more.

Hurrican Meghan

Every morning my family room is hit by one tiny unnatural disaster called, "Hurricane Meghan". She swoops in, dumps out all the toys, spreads them around, and spends the rest of the day playing with her "new found" treasures. Hours of fun spent dressing up in Disney princess shoes, building with blocks, sorting through her many trinkets, playing with her dollhouse and the occasional "coco" party with her tea set...at the end of the day we usher our sleepy hurricane through her bedtime regime of teeth brushing, allergy medicene, reading of stories, prayer, and her protests over going to sleep. When all is settled mom and dad swoop in to do a better job than FEMA of cleaning up, just so that the little hurricane can strike again tomorrow.

Meghan and her grandma

Meghan loves her grandparents, all of them. The relationship she has with each grandma, grandpa, nana, papa, and pops is different and special in their own rights. I was luck as a child, all of my grandparents were alive and most of my great-grandparents. This allowed me to have a bond with each one. The love of a grandparent is a special love that every child should get the pleasure of feeling.

Last Saturday, we went with Phillip's parents up to their cabin for the day. We were getting away from the roar of the jets that the air show on base was sure to cause. Our original plan was to go to the air show as I wanted to see the Thunderbirds perform. Unfortunately every time they flew above our home during their practice on Friday Meghan would freak out. So we called Phillip's parents and asked if we could join them. It worked out great; Phillip was able to help his dad make a few repairs that were needed, we avoided the jet noise for Meghan's sake, and I got a relaxing afternoon out of the deal.

I am excited to going back up there this coming Wednesday....